Misty Skies
by Mizuki99
Summary: Follows the trope For the Want of a Nail. What if Yamamoto had been just a little later and Chikusa had escaped with Tsunayoshi in hand? What kind of changes would have been made? What secrets would be revealed? See profile for poll relevant to story.
1. Kokuyo: Target 1

**_Title_**: Rewritten: Kokuyo  
><strong><em>Summary<em>**: What if the Kokuyo Arc had gone differently? What if Yamamoto had been just a bit later and Chikusa had escaped with Tsuna?  
><strong><em>Rating<em>**: T – possibly M for violence and dark themes  
><strong><em>Genre<em>**: Suspense/Drama/Mystery/Angst  
><strong><em>Length<em>**: Very short.

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><p><strong><em>Author's Note<em>**: So I am taking my rights as a fan fiction writer and expanding on the term AU. I know I shouldn't be writing something that wasn't originally in my projects list but this just sprang up and attacked me, okay?!

Don't judge me.

Just a quick note. The gaps in-between are what happen in the canon. I was lazy and didn't want to rewrite all that. Don't worry though—only the first chapter will be like that.

I don't own anything.

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><p>(1) - Consigliere: the counselor in a crime Family; advises boss and handles disputes within the ranks - Reborn's position. It seemed befitting.<p>

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><p><em>To my dearest Consigliere:<em>

_You will have to forgive the high security encryption, old friend, but there is trouble brewing here in Italy. You needn't worry, however. Iemitsu is taking care of things on this end._

_Two weeks ago, there was a jailbreak at a high security prison that's reserved specifically for the worst of the worst known within the Mafia. The ones that escaped were known associates of the Estraneo Family and they may potentially be after my chosen heir. The Vongola's information specialists have tracked the ringleader behind the jailbreak to a young man that assumed the name Rokudo. Their last location is unknown._

_Handle this quickly, Reborn, as I fear the worst._

_Yours Sincerely,_  
><em> The Ninth of the Vongola<em>  
><em> Timoteo di Vongola<em>

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><p>Reborn closed the laptop as he looked up from his laptop and over at a sleeping Tsuna. '<em>It's too soon.<em>' He thought with a frown. Tsuna wasn't ready. He was too young, to naïve to the ways of the Mafia. Sure, he knew what the public was allowed to know, but to be involved… well, that was something else entirely. He knew of Flames, he had tasted his Will when he first entered Dying Will mode but that was only half of it.

It was still too soon.

Absently letting his fingers curl around the smooth surface of Leon's scales. A frown marred the infant-turned-hitman's face which made him look so much older than his form permitted. "Things are going to get hectic, Leon," He murmured in a voice that was far too deep to be that of an infant's. "Be prepared for the worst."

The lizard in question only flicked out his tongue before curling up on the pillow and going to sleep and it wasn't all that much longer before Reborn did the same.

* * *

><p>"Mou! Why is Gokudera-kun's cell phone unreachable at a time like this?" Tsuna thought, scanning the streets again as though that would make the temperamental bomber appear sooner rather than later. '<em>Man—and where is Reborn? I'd bet he could find him…<em>' Tsuna frowned, looking around

"Ah, it's a Nami Middle student!" A female voice crowed. Tsuna stiffened and turned towards them. He gave a hesitant smile and a wave.

"Don't get too close!" Her companion hissed. "We don't want to get mixed up in whatever it is Hibari-san did."

Tsuna sighed as they scurried away. Was that what the other schools were saying now? '_Man. I hope this conflict ends soon…_' He thought. Kokuyo Middle and Nami Middle had never been on the best of terms, even before all of this. As they walked past him, he heard the tail end of their conversation. "Did you see what happened in the shopping district earlier?"

"Oh God, yes. It was a fight between a Nami student and a Kokuyo student, wasn't it? That silver-haired one was cute~!"

'_Silver?_' Gokudera flashed in his mind. '_It couldn't be…_' He stopped the girl in question. "A-Ah, excuse me. Can you tell me where the fight was specifically?" Tsuna asked hesitantly.

"Hm. I knew it! You Nami kids _are_ involved. It was in the next block over." She said and then flicked a strand of hair over her shoulder. Tsuna thanked her before bolting off but not before hearing her titter to her friend. "But you know, for a gangster, he's kind of cute too."

Had Tsuna not been in a hurry, he would have flushed but the only thing on his mind was getting there before he was too late.

* * *

><p>"Kokuyo?" Gokudera repeated and then scoffed. "Maybe I've gone senile but which Family is that again?" He knew that Kokuyo wasn't a Family—it was the next district over—but he was stalling for time but this point, it didn't matter. He needed back-up. Whoever this guy was—he was good and Gokudera was getting low on ammunition. '<em>Need to stock up on more.<em>' He thought absently.

The other guy, Kaki-something. Kakimoto, muttered under his breath. "Finally, the right one. Who are the other Guardians? Who is the Vongola Decimo?"

Gokudera's blood ran cold. "What did you just say?" He asked in a dangerously cold voice. "You're after the Tenth?" He clenched his jaw. "Well in that case…" He reached back for another round. "You're going down! Double Bomb!" He flung the sticks of dynamite forward and lunged into a role. He landed in a crouch just as two glimmers of read curved a wide arc around the area where his bombs hovered for a moment.

Damn it. Disarmed _and_ trapped between two weapons. He cursed under his breath. He hadn't wanted to resort to this but he had no choice. He reached into the little pockets on his belt and ignited one with the end of his cigarette. The little bombs were small but they packed a punch and they would give him an edge.

He crossed his arms across the front of him just as the shockwave of the explosion sent him sprawling to the side. "Fuck! That hurt!" He grit out, spitting out blood as he did so. One of his ribs was definitely cracked and was currently poking the shit out of his lung. He'd have to see Shamal about that later. Maybe he had some Sun pills he could use.

"Take that—"

"Too slow." A voice said casually from behind.

He cursed under his breath but twisted. "I'm not done yet, bastard!" He smirked. "Double bomb!"

"An one-trick pony…" Kakimoto drawled but then jerked back just before the mini-bombs exploded point-blank in his face. Gokudera scoffed.

"Your depth perception sucks." He commented. "Don't underestimate the Vongola."

* * *

><p>Tsuna stopped running, taking in big gulps of air as he did so. "That explosion just now…" '<em>It seems to have come from over there…<em>' Tsuna took one last gasp of air before he forced his already aching legs to move. He had to get there. He didn't know why—all he knew was that he _had_ to get there… and fast.

When he rounded the corner, he cut to a stop and his heart gave a startling lurch. '_No…_' He thought, his mind stuttering to a halt while his blood seemed to thicken in his veins. "Go—Gokudera-kun!" He cried out, running forward and covering him before another attack could come from the dark haired teen that stood over him. "Stop it!"

Blue eyes flashed—Tsuna had startled him—before he raised his hands. "Back-up? It doesn't matter. You're done for."

Tsuna glared up at him in defiance. '_I won't… I won't let you hurt Gokudera-kun!_' He thought with firm conviction. Something hot coiled at the pit of his stomach, slowly growing and heating the very blood that coursed through his veins. The enemy took a startled step back.

"The Sky Flame…" He murmured. "So you really are Vongola Decimo." He raised an injured hand which held something red—a yo-yo, something in the back of his mind, which holes that held needles that may or may not be coated with poison—but before he could release the weapon, Tsuna felt something pull him down.

He gasped, the heat vanishing abruptly as his position was switched. He felt Gokudera's body lurch on top of him. "Gokudera…kun?" He whispered almost fearfully. He tried to push him off but his hands were quickly slicked with something warm and sticky—blood. "Gokudera-kun!" He rolled him onto his back and checked his wounds. "No…" He whispered. Gokudera had several broken ribs and burns all along his back. That wasn't even including the puncture holes from the needles. Something hot sparked behind his eyes, coating his vision with orange.

_How dare they…?_

They hurt him. They _injured_ him and then they tried to kill him.

_How **dare** they?!_

Upper lip curling back, Sawada Tsunayoshi let a very feral shriek erupt from his lips as he _lunged_ at the perpetrator. "_How dare you hurt my beloved Storm!?_"

* * *

><p>Chikusa had not been ready for the downright <em>feral<em> attack that had been launched by the weak appearing brunet. He had lunged for him with a shriek and Chikusa had only narrowly escaped being maimed. The brunet landed in a crouch on the other side and lashed out with his foot. Chikusa hadn't anticipated the attack so he didn't dodge. The kick caught his ankle and knocked him off balance. He put his hands out to catch himself, almost dropping his weapon as he did so. He rolled to avoid a dropping kick aimed at his head and grimaced. That would have given him a concussion.

He scrambled rather ungracefully to his feet and threw out his weapon. The needles fell from their compartments but the brunet jerked his head to the side causing them all to fly harmlessly past him. Chikusa resisted the urge to curse like Ken undoubtedly would have done.

This opponent, unlike the bomber, was quiet and agile. He made no sound beyond the enraged snarl and Chikusa knew from experience that it was the quiet ones that were the most dangerous. The knuckles that just barely missed his jaw were a key testament to that. Just before Chikusa jerked back, however, he saw a flash of amber—the boy's eyes had changed color and a vibrant orange Flame seemed to have appeared from nowhere on the middle of his forehead. Was this the Vongola's Hyper Dying Will mode?

They fought to the staccato tempo of their footsteps. When one attacked, the other dodged and countered. It was an elegant trade of attacks but it had to come to an end regardless of his curiosity.

Chikusa kicked one of the rocks forward at the same time he lunged and sent out his weapons in a wide arc. With a sharp jerk of his wrist, the needles fell from their compartments like drops of rain. His opponent was fast and managed to dodge all but one—the one that he had held back deliberately for this moment. It caught him on the side of his neck.

He gasped and stumbled back as the numbing toxin took effect. Amber faded from his eyes and the Flame that had grown on the center of his forehead vanished as he fell forward. Chikusa caught him despite his exhaustion. His opponent, despite being the enemy, deserved at least that much.

With one last look at the bomber, Chikusa gathered the small brunet into his arms and quickly retreated. He had obtained his prize, after all.

**_Tsuzukeru._**

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><p>I am a very bad writer... I should be working on my upcoming projects but this is what came out instead. For those that are waiting: I apologize. Darkest Edge is still in the making. Everything else is just giving me a hard way to go. Oh well... I guess I can work with this to pass the time.<p>

**_Thanks for reading~!_**


	2. Kokuyo: Target 2

**_Author's Note_**: This chapter was a bitch and a half to write because I had no forethought put into this whatsoever. I just kinda... started writing. Sorry for the incredibly long delay. I'll attempt for it not to happen again... I make no promises though.

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><p>Yamamoto got there too late.<p>

That fact had been burning in his gut for the past hour and a half. He had been too late and they had escaped with the one person that truly understood him—with the one person he was willing to devote his life to ten times over. They had taken Tsuna from him.

Gokudera was currently lying in the hospital bed, prone and looking so vulnerable in his sedated sleep. It made Yamamoto feel things he learned to bury deep inside of himself—it was the side of him that his father often referred to as 'the killer within.'

And when he saw Reborn, he felt that side of him stir for the first time in a very… very long time. Reborn tensed and whipped around to meet his hazel-brown eyes and then relaxed when he realized who it was that was directing that righteous killer intent at him. "Well?" He asked blandly, keeping his emotions behind a mask of impassiveness that made Yamamoto see red.

"Gokudera just got out of surgery." He said flatly. "Shamal thinks the toxin is a mild anesthetic only liquefied so it could be injected into the centers of the hollowed needles." His eyes narrowed. "Any news on Tsuna?"

"I've notified the Ninth but reinforcements won't be coming in. We're on our own." Reborn frowned. "I know that you're angry and I know what kind of instincts must be circling your mind right now but you must remain in control. You are no use to Tsuna if you get riled up." Reborn knew from experience. When one's Sky was in danger, they tended to do things recklessly.

"Hibari is also missing." Yamamoto reminded.

And that was, perhaps, the most troubling case of all, Reborn thought with a frown. Hibari was probably the only one who could take down this enemy. Yamamoto and Gokudera were nowhere near ready to face them and Reborn had received no instructions to proceed which irritated him to no end because he _knew_ Tsunayoshi wasn't ready to face this kind of opponent. He wasn't ready to feel the sense of invasion that only an illusionist could conjure. He would too easily fall to these manipulations and if this opposition could use any form of possession… Reborn didn't even want to think about it—and although the bullet that allowed such a thing was illegal by Vendice law, there were some illusionists that could use various forms of mind control in place of possession which worked just the same.

Reborn knew that Tsuna possessed the Vongola's signature because he'd seen fragments of it stirring beneath the surface but it was still young and untrained. It was for that reason that Reborn feared that Tsuna wouldn't know what the stirrings in the back of his mind were should the illusionist decide to trick him into making a contract. It made Reborn regret not honing it before now.

Oh well. Hindsight 20/20. He'd have to fix his mistake later… after he found his student and saw to it that he was safe.

"I will continue to look into it." Reborn said after a moment. "Just be patient."

"Are you telling me that or yourself?" Yamamoto asked wryly.

Reborn had no answer for that.

* * *

><p>'<em>Where… am I?<em>' He thought groggily as he came to. The events in the plaza came rushing back to him and he struggled against the one that was holding him. "Let… me go!" Tsuna hissed, kicking. He heard a sound that resembled a snort. '_This prick is laughing at me! Well…_' His lips twitched with a show of sadism that he swore he picked up from Reborn. '_We'll see about that._' Tsuna balled his hand into a fist to gauge how much pressure he would require. He'd seen someone do this on the TV once but he never attempted it himself.

'_It should be right…_' Tsuna's fist struck the nerve endings and the yo-yo assassin's legs gave out from under him. Tsuna shoved away from him as though he had been scalded and broke into a sprint. He heard the injured assassin groan before whipping around. "How troublesome," He intoned. "I was hoping you would be cooperative."

Like hell that was going to happen, Tsuna thought, diving to the side and nearly stumbling on the uneven landscape. '_Where the hell am I?_' He thought, his mind becoming hazy and unfocused. He pushed past the haze, dismissing it as fear until the haze returned only sharper this time. '_This place looks like the old Kokuyo Land… but wasn't it scheduled for demolition?_' Something about a gas leak at one of the factories turning the land toxic.

His heart thudded in his chest and the adrenalin made his thoughts skitter around like water bugs but the instinct to _get the hell out of there_ was still as prominent as ever, even though that haze and exhaustion battled to take over his mind—though where either came from, he was unsure. He couldn't remember doing anything that would knock him out—only vague flashes of orange, rage and a sense of desperation to save something that belonged to _him_.

But he would have time to ponder that later, when he was safe at home in his bed with Reborn snoozing above him. Right now, he had to escape… even if escaping meant running into the very building the yo-yo assassin was taking him to. Even when shades of grey and black consumed the edges of his vision, he kept pushing forward, kept on running to escape.

And it was only when that haze lifted and his legs gave out from under him that he stopped running and the black that threatened to consume his vision finally took over.

* * *

><p>Mukuro leaned into his palm, staring down at Chikusa as he recounted what had happened. His eyes were cold, emotionless, and occasionally Chikusa would jump when he felt a nudge at the edge of his consciousness. After a few moments of silence, Mukuro smiled. "Kufufu," He laughed lightly. "So it would seem… that you were successful." He said. Chikusa seemed to shrink with relief. "You've done well, Chikusa. You may rest. I shall reward you later." Chikusa nodded before standing and leaving the room.<p>

The shadows in the room convulsed ominously as the figure laying face down on the wooden floor stirred. "Oya?" Mukuro purred. "You're awake?" He smiled a serpent's smile. "Then perhaps you can help me."

The dark haired prefect looked up at him with no small amount of loathing. "And why the _hell_ would I do something like that?" He snarled.

Mukuro's slightly sadistic smile widened. "Because you don't have a choice in the matter, little bird." Mukuro stood up, his fingers forming around his treasured weapon. "You see, what I desire… is already here… all I require is for someone to bring it to me… and who better to do that than someone he trusts?"

Before the other could process what he meant, before he could even bring his sluggish body to react, Mukuro lunged forward and sliced downward. The other teen only managed to jerk back a little ways, making what would have otherwise been a fatal strike a simple graze before Mukuro pulled back and laughed lightly before he slumped.

And Hibari Kyoya rose with an aura that promised death and carnage.

**_Tsuzukeru._**

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><p>I'm bad... badbadbadbad. I should be studying, doing homework, getting things done but instead, I'm writing... how am I ever going to graduate if I keep digging myself this hole? AAAAAAARRRRGH!<p>

**_Thanks for reading~!_**


	3. Kokuyo: Target 3

**_Author's Note_**: This chapter is dedicated to **_Kyogre_** for pointing out the translation errors and headcanon flaws. Hopefully I did something right this time ;p

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><p>Tsuna's foot got caught on one of the unearthed roots and he face-faulted into the clearing in a most inelegant display. He spat out the soil that filled his mouth and scanned his surroundings. He wasn't familiar with this area but he didn't expect to be. The gas leaks had been caused by a land slide, if he wasn't mistaken, so it was only natural that the layout of the place had changed.<p>

He heard light laugher coming from beside him. He jumped back, his muscles coiling to attack, before he masked his apprehension. "Who… are you?"

"Forgive me. You just looked so cute just now—like a pouting kitten." The blue-haired teen laughed lightly again, his laugh sounding like small huffs of 'kufufu'—but that was preposterous. No one laughed like that…

Wait… did he just call him _cute?!_

Tsuna scowled at the teen causing him to laugh harder and the syllables to become slurred together. He was not _cute_. Men didn't do _cute_. They did _handsome_ or _alluring_ but not… _cute_.

He could hear Reborn mocking him from the back of his mind.

"Ano… who are you?" He asked again.

"Forgive me. My name is Rokudo Mukuro." He smiled pleasantly, his visible blue eye closing with a smile that felt… odd… to Tsuna. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

He must have been a foreigner because instead of bowing, he extended his hand. Tsuna eyed it warily before reaching to clasp it gently. The boy, Mukuro's, skin was so cold in comparison to Tsuna's temperature. How odd. "I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sawada-san."

"Likewise, Rokudo-san." Tsuna pulled back, shifting his weight awkwardly. What was it he was doing again…?

"Forgive me for being so forward but thank you."

"E-eh? Wh-what for?"

"Ara? Aren't you here to rescue us?" He asked, his lone visible eye shining innocently… again, there was something off about it.

"E-Er… n-no… not really…" He wasn't about to tell him that he was _kidnapped_—or that he couldn't actually remember what he was doing here in the first place.

"Then what _are_ you doing here?" He pressed.

"I'm not… entirely… sure." He admitted slowly.

"Could you be looking for someone?" Mukuro wondered. Tsuna blinked, an image flashing through his mind.

_Was_ he looking for someone? No… he was certain that that wasn't it… actually… it felt more like he was _escaping_ from someone.

Tsuna blinked, "I don't think so." For a moment, a rage so deep that it turned his eye black passed through Mukuro's visage. It vanished when he blinked though.

"Are you sure?" He pressed. "You're from Namimori Middle School, right? You're with that disciplinarian?"

Disciplinarian?

Hibari-san?

Alarms went off in Tsuna's head. "Do you know where he is?" He blurted out unthinkingly.

"So you are looking for someone." Mukuro smiled, apparently relieved for some reason. "He was back that way." Mukuro pointed past him. "He seemed like he was hurt."

Hurt? Hibari-san? Oh no… worry lit a fire in Tsuna's gut. He had to find him. "Sorry… I have to go find him." Tsuna turned on the balls of his feet and took off in the direction Mukuro pointed.

When the young Sky was out of sight, a gust of wind brushed back Mukuro's hair. "Kufufu… right into my trap, little lamb. Soon… the Vongola will be mine."

* * *

><p>Rokudo had been right. Hibari was here and he <em>was<em> hurt. "Hibari-san!" Tsuna cried, running over and kneeling beside him. His skin prickled and his eyes stung as a piercing pain rolled through his mind but he ignored it, his concern for Hibari overwhelming… whatever this was. He reached down to the prefects throat, like Reborn taught him, and checked for a pulse and was relieved to feel it thrumming under his index and forefinger. "Hibari-san?" Tsuna asked again, shaking him slightly. He didn't get a response. Tsuna blew out a break and pushed his bangs back more out of habit because they always fell back in place as he tried to recall more of Reborn's lessons.

'_Spine, ribs, legs and arms._' He thought. Reborn had drilled the basic field-assessment gestures into his head and he was now very thankful that he had. Tsuna ran his fingers over Hibari's spine and repeated the gesture with the rest of his more active bones. '_Four ribs fractured but none splintered. His wrist is sprained and his left shoulder is dislocated. How the hell is he still alive with all of these injuries?_' And that was below the surface. Above, there were scratch marks, bite marks, torn chunks and a whole lot of blood loss that was making Tsuna nauseated. '_I should get him to the hospital…_' He thought. But how? He didn't have a cell phone on him. That yo-yo assassin must have taken it from him while he was unconscious and without his cell phone, Reborn couldn't exactly track him… and it didn't look like Hibari had a cell phone on him either…

Wait… Reborn… track him?

That's it!

Tsuna stepped back and lifted his shirt up slightly to the curve of his side. He ran his fingers over it for a moment and stopped when he felt a hard little nub. '_Reborn, I'll never take your overbearing and Spartan methods for granted again,_' Tsuna thought. Reborn had told him that, in order to activate the tracker, he would have to use Morris Code… another thing that was beaten into his head.

Tsuna's face scrunched up with concentration as he tried to recall. '_Track_' would take too long—so would '_help_'… what was that other signal that the military used?

SOS.

Tsuna positioned his index finger over the tracker and tapped three times before slowing them down for the next three. When he finished the sequence, he repeated the quicker tap and lowered his shirt.

There. Reborn would get the message.

Hopefully.

* * *

><p>Leon's eyes started blinking.<p>

Reborn's head snapped up when he recalled _exactly_ why that function had been installed into his genetically enhanced partner.

Tsuna's tracker had been activated.

He motioned Leon over and the little lizard—still in agony from having his tail cut—transformed into a digital layout of all of Namimori. "I got a lead." He said, catching Bianchi, Yamamoto, Shamal and the injured Gokudera's attention. "He's in Kokuyo—more specifically, the section that was shut down from the land-slide."

Yamamoto grimaced. "What's that look for, baseball-moron?"

"That land is toxic. There was a land-slide a few years ago that caused a whole bunch of gas-leaks all over the place. Since that district use to be a factory setting, the whole district has been cut off—even the schools."

"Do you know your way around?" Reborn asked.

"I might… I used to go there a lot as a kid. It depends on how much the landscape has changed from the slide."

"It's not much but I'll take it." If the SOS signal that Tsuna gave was any indication, he'd need help fast. "Bianchi, you and Yamamoto will be coming with me. Shamal, I want you to keep an eye on the girls. If they start acting hanky or if someone goes after them, call me."

"Will do." Shamal mock-saluted.

"I'm coming too." Gokudera said, shoving the blankets away ruthlessly.

"Hayat—"

"No!" Gokudera snarled, glaring at his sister. "He's my _Sky_, Aneki. I'll be damned if I lay here and do _nothing_."

Bianchi opened her mouth to protest but Shamal cut her off. "Then take this." He said cramming two bottles into his hand. "You'll need it—if that kid that got bit by the Sakura-kura virus is there, give that to him," He pointed to the white one with the red label, "and take this one for yourself… but be wary, Hayato. The side effects are _not_ pleasant." He completed, motioning to the clear vial with some sort of milky looking liquid in it.

Hayato gaped at the old man for all of three seconds before he composed himself, his eyes fierce, and nodded. "Thanks, Shamal."

**_Tsuzukeru._**

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><p><strong><em>Thanks for reading~!<em>**


	4. Kokuyo: Target 4

**_Author's Note_**: Okay, so I got a question asking me if this story will have yaoi in it… at the moment, no. It will not. Mukuro's still an evil bastard that's trying to savage Tsuna's sanity. There is no Mist/Sky bond. Tsuna hasn't acknowledged Mukuro as his Mist. I don't even know if I'll continue the story after I finish the Kokuyo Arc because of how it's going to end.

This is totally a sidenote and not at all important but for any 6927 fans out there, looking for a song that fits that ship to a T, listen to Sirenia's _My Mind's Eye_.

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><p>"<em>I'll be there to break your trust, and ravage all your lust for life, my love.<em>" -Sirenia, My Mind's Eye.

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><p>"That was a pretty bold move." Chikusa commented. Mukuro spared him a cursory glance before watching the happenings through one of Birds' spies' eyes. "Why didn't you use Lancia, like you have in the past?"<p>

"Because I wanted to see for myself." Tsunayoshi didn't know who it was behind the attacks so it was a bold but safe move. He was fairly certain that the Arcobaleno was figuring it out as they spoke but he still had some time before they figured out where he was and he had every intention of having Tsunayoshi under his control before they arrived with the calvary in tow. "Kufufu, I have every reason to be bold." He added, snickering softly.

Chikusa pushed his glasses up. "Do not underestimate him, Mukuro-sama."

Mukuro raised an eyebrow, heeding the warning but not openly acknowledging it. "Oya, oya? Are you _ordering_ me, Chikusa?"

Chikusa's glasses flashed. "Of course not, Mukuro-sama. I am just implying that… he is of Vongola blood. He has the Vongola Intuition."

"Hm, he does, doesn't he?" Mukuro mused. That may prove to be troublesome. "No matter." He smiled to himself, leaning into his palm. He'd cross that bridge when he came to it. "He doesn't seem to have a conscious grip on it." Which was just his luck—a fresh Vongola, ready for harvest.

And soon, the boy would be _his_ Vongola.

"_Kufufu…_"

* * *

><p>Tsuna spun around, looking back at Hibari when he heard a soft sound that could have only come from another human. "Hibari-san!" Tsuna knelt down by his side. "Don't try to move. Your injuries are…" He trailed off when he saw how his hair covered one eye. Why did he have such a bad feeling?<p>

"I'm fine." Hibari said shortly, forcing himself to stand. Tsuna caught him before the arm supporting a majority of his weight gave out completely. Hibari grimaced, probably at being so dependent, but Tsuna helped him into a sitting position before pulling back at his glare. "What are you doing here, herbivore? Answer quickly or I'll bite you to death."

"I was grabbed by someone in a Kokuyo uniform." Tsuna admitted, scratching his neck somewhat nervously. "I only just managed to get away."

"How did you get away?"

Tsuna opened his mouth to answer. '_Don't._'

His eyes widened.

'_Don't._'

'_Don't._'

'_Don't._'

'_Don't._'

'**_Do_**_—_'

"—ivore. _Herbivore!_" Tsuna snapped his eyes up to meet an uncovered slate eye—the other still hidden by his hair. "I asked you a question."

"I-I… I don't know." Tsuna lied, not liking the feeling he was getting. It felt like his head was stuffed full of cotton—it was as though his thoughts had turned into static and white noise like a TV that wasn't getting a signal. He felt a shudder roll through him but fought back the urge to break into a sprint to try and get away. It was absurd to run from the one person that could help him...

Right?

"We should probably find a way to get out of here and go get help." Tsuna said, watching Hibari warily. Logic was telling him that Hibari could help him but… his instincts had always been better than most, even before Reborn came along.

"There's no need." Hibari said icily causing Tsuna to wince. "I will bite that herbivore to death _myself_. I've no need for useless crowds."

Tsuna blinked owlishly at him. "B-But you're injured! And badly…" He trailed off when Hibari's eye narrowed dangerously.

What else could he do?

That heat from before curled around his gut, subduing the fear and worry that still clutched at his heart but not making it go away entirely. Without thinking, without letting his mind catch up to his mouth, he looked up at Hibari with a firm look. "Then at least let me come with you."

* * *

><p>Mukuro could barely contain his glee when he heard those words, when he saw caramel brown bleed into clear, crystallized sunest. "Come with me?" He scoffed derisively as his persona would have undoubtedly done. "What can a pathetic herbivore do?"<p>

An odd look crossed his face, the amber fading from his eyes. "I'll manage."

Mukuro thought about pushing a point but Hibari's subconscious gave him a forceful shove that was almost enough to make him lose his grip. He sneered, the action genuine and not part of the façade he was wearing to match Hibari's face. "Fine." He hissed, fairly certain that Hibari would never spit out his words as though they were curses like Mukuro would have done had he been in the same situation. It was a difficult transition but manageable. He had experience in the ways of deceit, after all.

He guided Tsunayoshi down the hallways, making sure to stumble occasionally to make his target further lower his guard. His confidence grew with each step they took because he was just _that much closer_ to possessing the most powerful person in all of the Mafia.

The two of them walked in silence, not daring to say much of anything in a one-sided fear that the perpetrator was listening in (one-sided because Mukuro _was_ listening and Hibari was rather… indisposed at the moment). It was only when they got to the central hall that led into the lounge that Tsuna spoke up, his steps halting. "Ne… Hibari-san… are you… sure you're alright?"

Mukuro turned halfway before realizing he'd been swaying the entire time he'd been walking.

Hibari was fighting back—only this time, Mukuro wasn't sure he would win.

Feeling his control strain, he clutched his—_Hibari's_—head and fell to his knees. It was like a violent tug-of-war inside of someone else's body. '_Kufufu, you truly are frightening—to be able to fight me even now._'

'**_BE QUIET! I'll bite you to death. I'll bite you to death and enjoy_** **_it. Get the hell out of my body!_**'

'_No restraint in the privacy of your own mind… though, I have to wonder—is it really private? **I'm** here after all._'

'**_Silence, swine!_**'

Mukuro grunted at the force of another mental shove, the strength leaving the body he was borrowing completely. '_No!_' He snarled, giving a little shove of his own. '_Stay out of my way, fool! That Vongola will be **mine**!_'

"Hibari…san?" Tsuna asked, taking a tentative step forward. Mukuro looked up at him, madness staining eyes that were not his own and, before he could react, he reached for the Mist within and raised his weapon in a wide arc. The boy leaned back only a second too late and the tip of the blade caught him on his forearm.

The contract was complete. Vongola was _his_.

Hibari's body fell to the ground, useless, with a resounding thump.

Mukuro had won.

**_Tsuzukeru._**

* * *

><p>PLOT TWIST!<p>

Pleasedon'tkillme.

The next chapter may take a while because it is going to be _long_—like... 3.5k long.

**_Thanks for reading~!_**


	5. Kokuyo: Target 5

**_Author's Note_**: Not quite 3.5k but close enough! Still the longest chapter I've written thus far. Maybe the next one will be longer? I don't know.

Another side note—if you like German rock music, listen to Labyrinth by Oomph! It's another epic 6927 song.

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><p>"<em>When I possess your soul, I'll say things and use you as my personal plaything. The time will come, I'll dull your senses... if you don't stop, this game is endless.<em>" —Labyrinth, Oomph!

* * *

><p><em>The darkness around him twisted and warped as he ran, black tendrils shooting after him at a break-neck speed that was just a little bit faster than he was. The wire-like threads of pitch black wrapped around his legs, causing him to stumble even more than he normally would have. They clutched onto his wrists and throat, twisting and braiding together, making his limbs feel heavier than they should.<em>

_'_Runrunrunrunyouhavetogetawayjustkeeponrunning…_' Whispery voices hissed from all around him, seemingly materializing from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Flashes of gold light appeared to guide him through the thick mass that was trying to drag him further and further into this amorphous, colorless mass._

_But all it took was one sharp tug at his left ankle and Tsunayoshi was sprawling forward, free falling from the invisible path he had been using to try and escape._

_"**There is nowhere you can hide, Sawada Tsunayoshi.**"_

Tsuna woke up with a jolt, looking around him in curiosity. "Where… am I?" He looked around, unable to place the setting.

"Kokuyo Land." A casual, almost dismissive voice said. Tsuna looked up to see the blue-haired youth from earlier—Rokudo? "Now, now, you don't have to be shy, Tsuna-kun."

"E-eh?" Tsuna jumped slightly at being addressed, looking around wildly as though another "Tsuna" would appear from the shadows.

"Come sit with me." He motioned to the cough beside him despite the static prickling at the back of his senses. Tsuna sat stiffly at the edge of the couch, fingers curled into a fist that was pressed against his thighs. "Kufufu, you're awfully shy, aren't you?" He mused.

"Sh-Shut up!" He whined before blinking. Why was he…?

But Rokudo didn't seem bothered by it. Instead, he just laughed lightly, leaning back casually with his legs crossed and arms dangling casually from the back of the moth-eaten sofa. He just sighed before looking down at Tsuna fondly, as though he'd known him for an entire lifetime.

Maybe he had, Tsuna thought. Maybe there was something blocking his memories. He could certainly admit that he wasn't thinking clearly. He couldn't remember, for the life of him, how he got here or even where he had been before now.

"If there's something bothering you, you should talk about it. I've been told that it helps." Rokudo said, offering a charismatic smile that just felt all wrong.

"…I can't remember…" Tsuna mumbled quietly, his words almost becoming indistinctive.

"Oya? What can't you remember?" Rokudo seemed startled.

"…anything. I can't remember anything." Tsuna looked down at his fists and clenched them tighter. "I feel like there's something missing and it scares me." He brought one of his fists up to rub his eyes which had begun to sting. When he felt his sleeve getting wet, he laughed lightly. "Why am I crying?" He asked himself. "Why… do I feel like I've lost something important?"

Rokudo offered another charming smile that felt weird before he pulled Tsuna closer, wrapping his arms around him in a loose embrace. Tsuna struggled against him feebly but couldn't find the strength to fight back—not anymore.

'…_anymore…?_' He thought. '_Why…?_' Why would he think something like that?

"Shhh, _amore_, it will get better. Just sleep." Rokudo murmured, his voice like a daunting lullaby that soothed Tsuna's senses in a way that was beyond this world. Tsuna shifted again, trying to pull away one last time before a fog settled over his senses. "It will be better when you wake up." He heard Rokudo say before the fog wrapped around him and he fell into a dreamless slumber.

* * *

><p>Mukuro's lips pulled down into a frown. He hadn't expected the young Vongola to react as strongly as he did. Ken and Chikusa had told him that the feeling of being possessed by another was akin to having a wet rag held against their mouth but then their contracts were considerably lighter than the one he forged with the—<em>Tsunayoshi<em>, he reminded himself. The child had little interest in the Vongola and seemed to despise the mafia as much as Mukuro did.

Still, Mukuro thought. For him to be in tears, to consciously recognize that he'd lost something… Mukuro was in for a psychological game of tug-of-war if this continued and he wasn't sure how much time he had left.

"Ken," He said, calling on his dog-like companion. "I need you to buy me some time." He reached down, lifting Tsuna's shirt slightly and feeling for the tracker he'd seen in Tsunayoshi's memories. It was small, about the size of a rice-grain, but it was implanted underneath the first two surface layers of skin. If he wasn't careful, he could puncture it and, from what he could gather on the Arcobaleno, it had a safety mechanism—a toxin that would send Tsunayoshi into a comatose state until the antidote was administered. "And take this with you." He carefully wrapped up the tracker and tossed it towards the blond who caught it one-handedly.

"What is it, byon?"

Mukuro smiled. "It seems that the Ninth is a little bit touchy about his final heir as he had that Arcobaleno inject a tracker into our little Don's side."

Ken's face twisted into a snarl. "And if I run into any trouble, byon?"

Mukuro hummed, "Rip them to pieces."

The smile that spread over his features was nothing short of feral. "Yes, Mukuro-san."

"Mukuro…sama…" Mukuro inclined his head.

"So you've awakened, it seems…" He mused more to himself than anyone in particular. "Your injuries are still pretty severe." He commented. "Perhaps you should rest some more." That was as close to concern as he would allow himself to get.

Chikusa ignored it—or perhaps just pushed it aside until later. "Have you completed your contract with the little Vongola?" He asked, looking down at the defenseless looking creature sprawled out on the couch, his head resting in Mukuro's lap, with just a touch of jealousy.

"So it would seem..." Mukuro mused, dropping a hand onto the fluffy mass that was the boy's hair. "I was expecting a little more resistance but perhaps that is because I am fully aware of what the Vongola is capable of." Or maybe it was because the boy was not yet at full power.

Chikusa's eyes sharpened and his glasses flashed ominously. "Do not underestimate him, Mukuro-sama." Chikusa repeated his earlier warning. "He may seem harmless now but before..." He trailed off and Mukuro frowned.

"Show me, Chikusa." He reached out for the formless mass that was Chikusa's mind. Images of fiery orange eyes filled with the desire to protect crossed his mind and he recalled every blow the child delivered, adding to Chikusa's already severe injuries. "Oya?" Mukuro smiled, his eyes glinting dangerously. "Perhaps you are right." He acknowledged, his smile growing into a serpentine grin. His Vongola was much stronger than even he had predicted. "Perhaps I should tread carefully. It wouldn't do to lose myself in this mind." He inclined his head slightly. "You've no need to worry—I won't make any mistakes." He waved him off, motioning towards the bed with a dismissive flourish of his hand. "Get some rest, Chikusa. You've earned it."

Chikusa obeyed this time, laying down on the worn cot. "Are you going to let the others out to play?" Chikusa asked.

Mukuro laughed. "Kufufu—but of course. It wouldn't do for them to get… rusty… after all."

* * *

><p>Bianchi looked around after she melted the lock off with a Melting Sakura Mochi. "Is this the place?" She asked, thoroughly unimpressed.<p>

"Yep." Yamamoto said, swinging his bat around casually before bringing it up to rest on his shoulders. "This place used to be a compound recreation center called Kokuyo Land. It used to have various activities available for anyone who had a membership—fun things like karaoke, a movie theater and a small exhibit that held various plants and animals that weren't native to Japan." He motioned to the ruined park around them. "That was back when the Kokuyo district was still up and running though." He motioned between the run-down buildings to where the distinct shape of a middle school could be seen. "The middle school is on the other side of the block, just behind the park."

"I can tell why this place was closed but why the whole district?" Gokudera asked, kicking a piece of rubble.

"Because the land slide caused some of the pipes to collapse which blocked off the flow of gas." Yamamoto said, using his bat to point to an uprooted pipeline that had rusted from prolonged exposure to the elements. "This place became a ticking time bomb waiting to blow. Eventually, the government just cut the district off all together." Yamamoto shrugged as though it didn't concern him. "It's been scheduled for demolition for a few years now but no one's come to do the job so it just stands here mostly abandoned."

"Mostly?" Bianchi asked.

"Local gangs still hang around here when they ditch school because the police—and Hibari—can't get to them here."

Reborn raised an eyebrow. "Can't? Or won't?"

"Both, probably." Gokudera mused, scanning the surroundings. "This place is kinda' creepy. Seems like the kind of place a couple of Vendice escapees would lay low."

"Vendice? What's that?" Yamamoto asked.

"Later," Reborn said, cutting off the explanation that was on the edge of Gokudera's tongue (along with a few scathing retorts). "We're being watched."

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Yamamoto felt something hot rush past his face. It would have struck him on the back of the head—and probably given him a concussion while he was at it, too—if he hadn't moved when he did. "What was that?" He heard Gokudera say before something underneath him creaked. He felt, more than saw, Reborn jump away just before the ground gave out underneath him and he was hit by the heavy scent of dried flowers.

"It looked like an animal." Bianchi said. "Are you alright, Yamamoto?"

Yamamoto grimaced, rolling his arm. "Just peachy." He said somewhat scathingly but it only came across as a slight edge since the instinctual smile he put up was already plastered onto his face. A little warning would have been nice, he thought blithely.

There was a sound that almost resembled a dog's pant. Yamamoto blinked, processing the sound for a moment before he realized what it actually was—laughter. "Welcome to my domain, Yamamoto Takeshi." A voice droned from somewhere in the shadows. "Kaki-pi's still asleep and I haven't had any orders so I've been bored out of my skull." He could almost imagine a pair of amber eyes staring at him from somewhere in the shadows.

"A Kokuyo uniform... Reborn-san, is he one of them?" He heard Gokudera asked the kid.

He could imagine Reborn's expression twisting like it did when something displeased him—something he'd been doing a lot these past twenty four hours. "That would be my best guess."

The dog-like teen cocked his head to the side, the action going unseen by Yamamoto who was still trying to get his eyes to adjust. "You guys up there! Are you his pack?" He asked rhetorically. "Just sit tight. I'll take care of you next."

Yamamoto forced a laugh. "Ahahaha!" He scratched the back of his neck, looking at the area where he heard the voice coming from. "You know, you're kind of like a dog. Are you playing pretend?"

Gokudera spluttered like he did whenever Yamamoto did something he thought was stupid. "That idiot..." He heard him mutter.

"Are you a ditz?" His… opponent (because he wasn't going to bother hiding the fact that this was going to come down to a fight)… sneered. "It doesn't matter... any type of prey is fine by me." He said before he lunged forward. Yamamoto threw himself to the side to dodge the blow that came too fast for him to see in the dim, natural lighting of the pit. "Thanks for the meal!" He heard him say.

Yamamoto drew the bat the kid had given him only for the metal to shatter in his hands. His eyes widened when he heard the other teen skid to a halt on the other side of him. "I'll tear out your throat next," He heard him growl.

'_Not good…_' He thought.

* * *

><p>Rokudo had been right. It <em>had<em> gotten better after he woke up. He still felt that sense of loss but it was nowhere near as strong as it had been. "Feel better?" Rokudo asked as Tsuna sat up. He blinked, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"Un." Tsuna nodded, smiling tentatively. "...Rokudo-san?"

"Now, now, you don't have to be so cold. Just call me Mukuro." Roku—er… Mukuro said with a kind smile.

"M-Mukuro…" He flushed, looking away. "…n-nevermind." He said, feeling somewhat woozy. What was he going to ask? He couldn't remember...

"Why don't you and Chikusa play together for a while?" Mukuro asked, motioning to the teen that was sitting on the cot on the far side of the room. "I've got something I want to take care of first." Tsuna looked down at his hands. He didn't want Mukuro to leave. "If you play nice, I'll give both of you a special treat when I return." Mukuro said and then laughed at the scowl Chikusa directed at him. "I will return shortly, Tsunayoshi. Chikusa."

"Yes, Mukuro-sama." Chikusa said respectively while Tsuna's eyes dropped to the floor submissively. He hoped Mukuro would return soon.

**_Tsuzukeru._**

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><p><strong><em>Thanks for reading~!<em>**


	6. Kokuyo: Target 6

**_Author's Note_**: Hm… I need to work on my fight-scene skills because this is kind of pathetic.

On a side note, two chapters in one week...

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><p>Yamamoto lunged to the side yet again, dodging a blow that was too fast for him to see in the dark. He rolled onto his feet, lashing out with a foot and narrowly missing his dog-like opponent. "Missed me~." He taunted.<p>

Yamamoto resisted the urge to bare his teeth in annoyance. As much as he would just love to draw this game of cat and mouse-or rather, cat and dog, he supposed—Tsuna was in danger and his life was worth more to him than some stupid tournament. "All you do is run away." The other teen taunted.

"Ah," Yamamoto laughed. "That's because I have something more important in my life than playing Mafia." He scratched the back of his head casually, using the movement to catch a thick piece of plaster that fell from somewhere above them.

_'He's being careful to avoid injury._' Gokudera thought, realization donning on him. _'It must be fore that tournament... fucking moron. Doesn't he realize that this is more serious than a sport? Juudaime's life is in danger._'

"Don't worry though. I'm going to take you seriously now." Yamamoto said, ducking right and lashing out with the broken sword-turned-bat in his hand. The teen rocked back onto his heels with a snort.

"Missed m—augh!" He grunted, feeling something slam against his jaw. He bared his teeth. "I see, byon. You used your habit as an excuse to catch a piece of the plaster. Well," He pulled out the fang-like cartridges and switched the one he was currently using for another. "Cheetah channel!"

Yamamoto cursed—he wouldn't be able to hit him again using the same methods... unless...

He grinned, his grin taking up just the faintest hint of an edge that thirsted for blood that wasn't his. He had a plan—all he had to do was execute it.

He raised his hand, using the shadows to encase it as though he was going to throw another piece of plaster. As he predicted, the teen dodged to the side. "It's going to take more than that to defeat me!" He said. Yamamoto took a step back, twisting his features in fear that wasn't entirely forced before he felt a pair of elongated fangs sink into his arm.

Caught like a mouse in a trap, he thought as he slugged the animalistic teen.

The chase was over.

"Yosh, baseball-idiot!" Gokudera cheered from above. Yamamoto scratched the back of his neck as he laughed nervously while Reborn tossed a Leon-rope down. "Now hurry up and get out of there so we can rescue Juudiame."

Yamamoto pulled himself up. "Right!"

* * *

><p>Chikusa looked at Tsunayoshi sidelong. The boy was completely different from before. He was silent, downcast. It was like a light had been switched off in his eyes. '<em>Is your control over him waning?<em>' He asked, feeling for that connection he and Mukuro shared.

'**_No. I have… implanted a subconscious desire for proximity._**'

'_What of his memories?_'

'**_They are subdued for now. He has no recollection of those fools he calls friends._**' Chikusa got the distinct impression that Mukuro would have sniffed with disdain if the action wasn't considered beneath him.

'_There is no danger?_'

Mukuro sighed, the action reflected in his thoughts. '**_No… there is no danger._**'

Chikusa was going to reply with a repetition of what he said earlier but was abruptly pulled from his thoughts. "Do they hurt?" The boy asked. Chikusa flicked his glasses up in confusion. "Your injuries… do they… bother you?"

"It's fine." He replied crossly, looking away. Something about the concern in his eyes set Chikusa on edge.

"No it's not… you were injured." The boy pressed. "Do you… do you need help changing the bandages? Some of them have become soaked through."

The first thing that came to Chikusa's mind was a denial and a bit off reply but before he could even form the first word, Mukuro had taken over his reply. "Do as you please." He said in the same cross tone from before. '_Mukuro-sama!_' Chikusa protested mentally.

'**_In order for him to become more accustomed to his new role, you need to make him feel welcome. Instead of regarding him as a pawn, see him as an ally. Besides…_**' Mukuro's thoughts suddenly darkened. '**_He is good at first aid._**' Before Chikusa could ask what he meant, Mukuro withdrew and Chikusa found himself sitting on the cot with his shirt off.

Tsuna, for his part, was careful. The antiseptic didn't sting as much as it normally did which made Chikusa curious enough to voice his curiosity. "If you clean away the dirt with a wet rag first, it takes away the reason behind the sting." He said quietly. Chikusa found himself storing that knowledge away for later. Twenty minutes later, Chikusa was rewrapped and swallowing two tablets for pain relief.

Mukuro had been right, Chikusa thought as the pain killers kicked in and made him somewhat drowsy. The boy was good at first aid.

Now where could he have learned a skill like that?

* * *

><p>Tsuna pulled the blanket over Chikusa who was sound asleep thanks to the pain killers he took after he'd changed his bandages. "I don't think he'd appreciate being mothered." An amused voice said lightly, teasingly, from the doorway. Tsuna's eyes lit up.<p>

"Mukuro!" He beamed and then paused. "You're angry. What's wrong?"

Mukuro blinked, startled slightly as he always was when Tsuna said something that he thought was… off. "Nothing." He said tightly.

"Don't lie—tell me. I want to help." Tsuna pushed, his eyes glittering with sincerity. Mukuro strode past him, pausing long enough to put an arm around his waist.

It was risky, he knew. The contract was still fresh, after all, and there would always be a chance of the boy regaining his memories but… on the other hand, if he _didn't_ test the boy, he wouldn't know the true extent of his capabilities.

"There are… intruders." Mukuro finally said. "They took down Ken." He'd taken the trip outside to plant the tracker where Lancia was set up in case MM and Birds didn't prove to be enough of a distraction for them—and he knew they wouldn't.

"Ken?" Tsuna asked and Mukuro had to remind himself that Tsunayoshi hadn't met Ken yet.

"An ally of ours, dearest Tsunayoshi." He said with a gentle smile that held no sincerity. "Someone has come here wishing to do us harm."

Tsuna frowned—that didn't set well with him apparently. Good. "I want to help." He repeated.

Mukuro sighed, making sure to add a bit of anguish to his expression. "Tsunayoshi…"

"I can fight, Mukuro." Tsuna protested. "Please let me fight for you." He pleaded, his expression nothing but open and honest and so blinding that Mukuro was almost forced to look away.

"…very well. But do not push yourself. I don't know what I'd do if I lost you." It disgusted him how sincere the words came out—as though he was truly starting to care for the boy.

But such a thought was preposterous. He hated the Mafia and this child… he was Vongola and the Vongola was the Mafia at its most powerful so of course he would hate the boy along with it—or so he told himself.

Somehow, it became less and less convincing with each repetition.

* * *

><p>Reborn sneered as Birds whimpered pitifully from where he was brutally beaten by Gokudera and Yamamoto. He'd never seen either boy so angry before but then it served the fool right—their Sky was in danger. He shouldn't have used him to taunt them.<p>

"Are you alright, my love?" Bianchi asked, her embrace tightening a bit.

"Fine." He said shortly. "Let's move—" He cut off, feeling a warm and very familiar presence wash over him. He looked down at Leon and found him forming a cocoon that was rapidly expanding. White tendrils of light shot out and Reborn lowered his fedora against the light.

When it died away, he looked up only for his eyes to narrow into sharp slits at the same moment a voice called out, eerily familiar but pitched low, "It seems Mukuro was right—we do have intruders… and they've brought me a toy to play with."

Reborn looked up to see a pair of eyes the color of pure, crystallized Sky flames.

Standing in front of them, blocking the path to their enemy, was none other than Sawada Tsunayoshi…

And Leon had just given him a weapon.

**_Tsuzukeru._**

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><p><strong><em>Thanks for reading~!<em>**


	7. Kokuyo: Target 7

**_Author's Note:_**I am so sorry for the delay. I meant to have this posted yesterday but I was so worn down from coughing that I didn't get to go much of anywhere.

* * *

><p>Tsuna looked down at the gloves on his hands, curling his fingers as though to test them. '<strong><em>Oya, Oya… how interesting.<em>**' He almost jumped, hearing Mukuro inside his mind before he reminded himself that it was only natural that Mukuro be able to contact him from a distance (although, there was a tiny, almost unheard portion of him that questioned _why_ it was normal because _he_ couldn't do anything like that). He stared at the gloves for a few moments longer before he looked up at the group that was staring at him oddly. '**_Tsunayoshi, send them away for me._**' His 'voice' came out like a silky purr.

"Who are you?" He asked. He saw two of the people in the group rear back as though they had been hit. He felt his chest pang oddly and put a hand over the place that hurt.

Funny… why did their horrified shock bring him pain? He pushed it to the side. The only one who mattered was Mukuro and Mukuro wanted these people gone.

The blond he'd seen briefly before—Ken, his mind supplied without him having to sift through his thoughts—leapt and landed beside him. "These are the intruders, byon. Mukuro-san wants us to eat them."

Tsuna blinked slowly, his mouth curving oddly, as though smiling was an unusual expression for him in this state. "You are the only one who wants to eat them, Ken. Mukuro wants us to send them away."

"Shut up, Vongola! I'll do whatever I want, byon!"

"You'll be scolded."

"I don't care! You sound like Kaki-pii." Ken huffed, crossing his arms.

"What are you doing, Dame-Tsuna? Quit fooling around." The infant said, his eyes narrowing. Tsuna blinked as the name he was called—_Useless-Tsuna_—sent waves of pain through his mind.

"_It's all because of you that we lost, Dame-Tsuna._"

"_Yeah! Can't you do anything right?_"

Tsuna stumbled back, clutching his head. "No…" He moaned, tears pricking at his eyes. He wasn't useless—he _wasn't!_ He was perfectly capable of supporting his own weight. It was them—_they_ were the useless ones.

Heat curled under his skin and he found himself lunging forward, lashing out at the one who called him such a foul name. "D-Don't… Don't _call_ me that!" He snarled, baring his teeth as he lashed out over and over again.

But the infant just kept _dodging_ and making the heat under his skin that much worse.

"You're going to have to do better than that if you want to defeat me, _Dame-Tsuna_." The infant sneered, disdain twisting his features in a way that should have been impossible. "I don't submit to _traitors_."

'_Traitors?_' Tsuna thought foggily as he lashed out with a foot, aiming to kick the child hard enough to send him flying through a couple of trees. '_I don't know them… do I?_' The child moved forward as though he was going to attack and Tsuna leapt back to put some distance between them. '_They're intruders, right?_'

That loss from before welled up inside of him again only this time, it brought with it a wave of nausea that had Tsuna swallowing back bile. '_Don't look at me like that._' He thought, staring at the two teens that were looking at him like they didn't know him anymore.

Anymore?

Why would he think something like that? He'd never met them…

"_Hey, Tsuna. I don't agree with everything that you said. I don't think you're useless._"

"_Juudiame!_"

Tsuna clenched his teeth together as images flashed through his mind causing an eye-splitting pain to shoot through his head.

If he'd never met them before… why did they seem so… familiar?

Why… did it seem as though he _knew_ them?

"_Yo, Tsuna! Do you want to come over? We can finish tonight's homework in my room!_"

"_Idiot. The tenth doesn't need to study. He'll pass all of his tests with flying colors!_"

"_The amount of faith you have in Tsuna's abilities knows no bounds, does it, Gokudera? Dame-Tsuna! You need to learn to appreciate your subordinates. A good boss knows when to reward them!_"

"_But I don't want to be a boss!_"

Tsuna groaned as an ear-splitting noise that only he could hear pierced through the air. Why couldn't he escape from this hell?

'**_You don't know what hell is._**' Mukuro snarled.

"D-Damn it!" Tsuna spat, stumbling back. "What the hell are you doing in my _head_?"

'**_Oya? Kufufufu! It would seem that I underestimated your resolve. That is not a mistake I will make again._**' Tsuna's limbs trembled as he tried to expel a force he could not see, hear or touch.

'_I don't need any of that. As long as I can feel him, I can fight back!_' Tsuna's resolve burned brighter until his Flame became hot enough to ignite the dead undergrowth—but the display of power was nothing compared to the struggle that was going on underneath the surface.

How did Hibari-san manage to expel him from his mind?

Reborn watched in awe and horror as the Dying Will Flames burned hot enough to catch on the overgrown weeds that had been left for so long. Was this what the Vongola was capable of? Was _this_ the potential that Tsuna held?

Raw Sky Flames burned around them, the blazing inferno becoming hot enough to splinter the glass. "Fall back!" Reborn called out, sucking in the last gulp of clean air he could get before acrid smoke filled the area.

But Reborn didn't follow the group as they retreated. He stayed where he was. "Fight him, Tsunayoshi. Don't let him win."

"R-Reborn…" Tired sunset eyes sought out pitch black. The Flame on his forehead flickered before dimming. "He's gone." He said before he fell to the ground. Reborn cursed under his breath before calling Leon to his side and ordering him to hide their presence until the authorities—that had just arrived onto the scene—were gone.

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><p>Reborn sighed to himself. Hibari was in critical condition. Tsuna didn't have any lasting physical damage but mentally, the two of them were so torn up that they were rendered comatose. "I don't know when they'll wake up." Shamal said. "The amount of damage done to both his mind and that Hibari kid's… it's severe, Reborn. There's a chance that neither of them will wake up at all." He really wished Shamal hadn't told him that because now, this fell on him.<p>

What was he supposed to tell Nono? Hell, what was he supposed to tell _Iemitsu_?

He should have known that Tsuna wasn't ready for an opponent of that caliber. He didn't have the kind of mental training to fight against an illusionist—Vongola blood or no.

"What are the authorities saying caused the fire?"

"They believe that a cigarette caught on the dried brush." Shamal looked at Reborn. "Do you want me to treat your burns?" Tsuna's Flame had made his skin hot enough to burn. Reborn wasn't worried about it though. They would heal when he slept. It was the only plus that came from being an Arcobaleno.

"They'll be gone by morning." Reborn said dismissively while his mind mulled over the various outcomes telling Nono about Tsuna's loss at Mukuro's hand would have. None of them were favorable.

He waited until he heard the door to the stark hospital room latch before he ran his hands through his hair and sighed.

What the hell was he supposed to do now?

**_Tsuzukeru._**

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><p><strong><em>Notes:<em> **None.

**_Thanks for reading~!_**


	8. Kokuyo: Target 8

_**Author's Note: **_You didn't think it was over yet, did you? HAH!

I had a lot of trouble getting this chapter out but now that it's out, it's not nearly as painful to continue. I'm sorry for the long wait! I'll have another chapter out soon.

Oh. The only reason the chapters are short is because it's still the Kokuyo arc so I was following the layout of the manga as closely as I could without combining chapters. After this, the length of the chapters will increase.

**_Updated: 6/14/15 - Added a bit more to this chapter._**

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><p>It was rather sad, the state the young Vongola's defense-system was. It wasn't as elaborate as Mukuro had thought—or so it seemed on the outside. Very unassuming. He knew better than to say that <em>all<em> of his mind was life that. It looked like the cement wall that surrounded a prison-yard with barb wire lit with Sky Flames. In front of the entrance, what appeared to be an older Tsunayoshi (not by much—probably a few years older than the current Tsunayoshi, barely looking older than 17) with glowing amber eyes and a withering orange Flame that flickered in and out of existence.

He looked… _pathetic_.

"You can't stop me." He sneered.

"I won't try." Orange eyes flickered up and they just looked so _tired…_

Mukuro took a step back, calling on his weapon.

"But I have to warn you." He lowered his gaze and folded his fingers together behind his back—not that Mukuro could see it. "I… hope that you are stronger than I am." He looked down.

Mukuro was wary. "What… do you mean?" He cursed his hesitation. Why was he so anxious and, god forbid, _worried_ for this… pitiful defense mechanism? Humorless laughter that sent a chill down Mukuro's spine made him realize his thoughts were not so private here. "Your worry flatters me but you should worry more about yourself. If you want to possess me, you have quite a fight ahead of you."

"Oh? What will I have to encounter?" Mukuro asked.

Amber eyes met his. "Demons." He looked down again and Mukuro wanted to curse. Those eyes told him everything he needed to know.

He should have known.

Things were never so easy, were they?

"What kind of demons?"

"The same kind that harbor you."

"Kufufu. Don't be ridiculous. I don't _have_ any demons."

Tsunayoshi cocked his head and raised his hand to point behind him. "Then what are those?" Mukuro spun around and almost lost his grip on Tsunayoshi in the midst of his shock. There was a warping black mass with various glowing eyes contrasting against the black, _moving_ blob. "Beyond this wall is an ever-changing maze. The walls shift and change to create traps to keep _demons_ at bay. Be careful not to get caught in the traps because the only way you will be able to get out is to relive the experiences that _created_ those demons."

"Tch. Coward." He spat before he could help himself. "Instead of letting those demons shape you into who you are, you keep them locked up and ignore them. All you're doing is _running away_."

"You are not one to judge me—you hide behind others so that you don't have to face the people you kill. I hate to break it to you but you're still responsible for their deaths, regardless of whether or not you use another as a tool."

The demons grew closer. Mukuro didn't mask his shiver. "They deserve it."

"I don't disagree."

Mukuro stared at the tired looking boy. "You won't stop me?" He asked carefully.

"No."

"Even if I take you with me?"

"If I fight you, the walls of the maze will crumble, and so will my protection. I can keep the demons at bay or I can keep intruders out. I can't do both. I'm not strong enough yet."

"But you will be one day." Mukuro challenged. If he was wasting his time, he was going to be _very_ angry.

"Of course." He sounded offended that Mukuro doubted his ability.

"Good." Mukuro strode past him, grabbing his arm as he past. The kid wouldn't stop screaming until they entered the maze where he shut up instantly, eyes flickering from one side of the path to the other. When they got to the first crossroad, Mukuro stopped. "Which way?"

"I don't know."

"You built this place and you don't know?"

"I designed the layout. I don't control the walls."

"What does?" Mukuro asked, looking back at the brunet.

"The Vongola Intuition."

"It's a separate entity from you?" Mukuro asked.

Tsuna nodded. "I don't know what form it takes or even how it works—only that I create and it controls."

"If it controls things, then what are you?"

"A projection of subconsciousness. The real Tsunayoshi is waiting in the center of the maze."

"So he's expecting me." Mukuro mused. "I wonder, will we fight when we reach the center?"

"Who knows?" The projection asked. The walls began to rumble and Mukuro's steps halted. "Uh oh."

"What?" Mukuro asked a tad-bit snappishly.

"We're trapped." Mukuro's eyes widened as he scanned the cubical they were trapped in. A black mass with red eyes formed from the shadow cast by the wall. "How do we get out of here?" Mukuro asked.

Tsuna pointed at the black mass. "You have to kill it."

"That shouldn't be a problem." Mukuro readied his trident but before he could move, jeers and laughter echoed in his ears.

"_Useless-Tsuna!_"

"_No way! I don't want someone like that on my team—you take him!_"

"_What a useless child… I'd be ashamed if I had a son like that._"

"_Useless brat—why don't you just __**die**__?_"

Mukuro jerked and narrowly escaped being slashed in half by a black claw.

What the hell was _that_?

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><p><em>What the hell was that?<em>

"The demons are memories. When you kill it, you'll be reliving the event that created it." Tsuna said.

Mukuro grit his teeth. That was the kind of information that would have been helpful earlier. "And there's no way around it?" He asked.

"No."

Mukuro sighed. Of _course_ not. Things could never be easy. No matter, he thought as he sliced through what he assumed was supposed to be the abdomen of the hazy creature. As soon as the shadows dissolved, his eye burned and he was pitched to his knees.

"_Alright, class. We're going to be picking teams. Yamamoto Takeshi, Aikaru Yumichika, pick your teams!"_

_Mukuro watched as, one by one, the children were picked off until only Tsunayoshi remained. "Since there is only one opening left, Sawada-san, why don't you go with Aikaru's team?"_

"_No way!" The pig-nosed brat sneered. "I don't want someone like that on my team—you take him!"_

"_Come on now, that's not nice." Yamamoto said. "He didn't do anything wrong. It's just the luck of the draw."_

_Mukuro watched as Tsunayoshi ignored the comments and walked over to the team he was assigned. Aikaru 'tch'ed and spat at Tsuna's feet. "You better not drag us down." It was a baseball game, Mukuro realized as the players spread out. "Go first, Useless!"_

_The ball flew. He swung and missed. The second time, he hit it—but not far. When he took off, halfway to the first base, his balance faltered and he went sliding over the dirt in what was clearly painful for the child._

_But he didn't cry._

_How strange. Mukuro had seen children younger than this crying and sobbing hysterically. Why didn't the child cry out in pain? Surely it had to hurt._

"_What a useless child." A woman sneered loud enough for the crowd to hear as she walked past. "If I had a son like that, I'd be ashamed."_

_Mukuro saw familiarization flash in his eyes—Tsunayoshi knew the woman that was belittling him. If he knew her, why didn't he do anything?_

"_See? I knew you were useless!" The children chanted _Dame-Tsuna_ over and over again like a mantra. Aikaru stood over Tsuna with crossed arms as he glared at him. "Useless brat—why don't you just __**die**__?"_

When the vision faded, he looked back at Tsunayoshi. "Why do they call you _Dame-Tsuna_?"

"Because I trip and my grades are bad." Tsuna looked down. Mukuro frowned. Humans were such petty creatures. "The walls have shifted. We can leave now." He said when Mukuro continued to stare at him.

Why was he looking at him like that?

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><p>If Tsuna was completely honest, he wasn't expecting Mukuro to make it to the center of the maze. He designed it so that his memories acted as the defense—the further into the maze they went, the darker the memories became. Right now, he was only seeing the tip of a very large iceberg that hid something deep within it's frozen depths.<p>

But the maze wasn't there for Tsuna's benefit. It was to confuse the demons, to keep the shadows from invading this place completely. It was a defense mechanism built on the ability to _forget_. He could forget all of those leers and jeers if the thoughts could not get through his mind.

"This place feels like a prison." He spoke the words without meaning to.

"Oya? You mean you don't like it?"

"I designed it—that doesn't mean I like it."

Mukuro stopped, turning to face the teen. "Why not change it?"

Tsuna's mouth set into a frown. Another expression that didn't do him any good, Mukuro thought. "I can't."

"Why?" Mukuro inquired. He was… curious. All this strength and he had limitations?

"The Ninth does not like it when his subordinates' children are stronger than he is."

Mukuro's eyes widened. He felt nauseated. To seal away a _child's_ Flame? "Is that one of the memories I'll be encountering?" He asked, attempting to keep his voice light.

He was rather irritated when all he got was a cryptic little smile instead of a reply.

**_Tsuzukeru._**

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><p><strong><em>Thanks for reading~!<em>**

Fighting those demons isn't going to be so tough when you have the jeers and sneers of Tsuna's classmates dragging you down, is it? I'm sure Mukuro will find a way...


	9. Kokuyo: Target 9

_**Author's Note: **_I'm getting better at this updating thing now that I have internet back. Questions, concerns, complaints? Leave 'em in the review section.

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><p>The memories got worse, Mukuro realized as they neared the center. What had started out as regular bullying slowly got worse and worse—and what irritated him the most was that Tsunayoshi wasn't always as uncoordinated as he currently was. There had been a time, before the sealing of his Flame, that he was a natural born leader. He took charge and the other kids followed him instinctively because he just knew what to do. He was always the team leader and people <em>liked<em> him. His grades weren't the best but they weren't the worst either. He was really good at calculating angles and trajectory patterns, Mukuro realized, and he was _fast_. Fast and flexible.

Some of the demons, he realized once he cleared a section they had been trapped in, weren't actually demons. It was the emotional loss that accompanied those memories that made them what they were.

And what was worse, he could feel the boy's detachment from his limbs. He could feel how frustrated he was when he tripped or his self-loathing when he couldn't process the math problems the same way he used to before and what was worse, the people around him could feel how much he hated himself so they treated him how he thought he deserved to be treated.

Such was the influence of a Sky's aura. Even at the center of it all where Mukuro was supposed to be immune, Mukuro could feel a pull towards the boy.

It made him wonder what would happen if the walls of the maze crumbled to the ground.

Amber eyes flickered up and Mukuro looked at him expectantly. "Our demons will wage war while we, ourselves, fight you directly." A grimace pulled down at the corner of his lips. "Doing so will break the Ninth's seal, you realize, and I will not be so weak then."

"Kufufu, _good_!" Mukuro called on his trident and he lashed out. Tsunayoshi clumsily dodged, his limbs not responding the way he wanted. Mukuro was ruthless as he attacked. "You cannot evade me forever. Eventually you will have to fight back." He said between his lunges and strikes.

"I told you. If I fight back, the walls will crumble." Tsunayoshi said before his back hit the wall.

"Then tell me, what will happen if you are destroyed?" Mukuro asked, the smile falling from his lips as the trident was held inches from the projection's throat.

"...Tsunayoshi will die."

"Just as well, I can use a corpse all the same." Mukuro drew back, preparing to stab the projection but knowing that the Intuition that controlled the maze wouldn't allow it all the same, when raw Sky Flame erupted and the walls of the maze began to burn.

It was _magnificent_. The sweet scent of raw power being awakened for the first time since being sealed away made Mukuro's Mist Flame respond in kind, protecting him from the shock-wave of the power that was released.

Behind him, he could hear the snaps, snarls and growls of their demons clashing in an all out war that sent a thrill of excitement through Mukuro's very core because this chaos was what he wanted to create.

"This chaos comes at a price, Mist." Mukuro's eyes were drawn to the frail little brunet that he had pinned moments before. There were tear tracks running down his face.

"_Why do you weep_?" He wanted to ask but held his tongue. The projection heard it anyways.

"The Vongola Intuition will force me to kill you if you continue this crusade. I do not want to kill you." There was a plea in his voice but Mukuro ignored it because he refused to think that this… pitiful creature actually _cared_ about him.

"_Please_."

Mukuro's eyes widened when the last of their demons fell and dissolved into raw _power_ that fueled their cores.

This was it.

This battle would decide whether Mukuro succeeded in his plan or not. With that thought in mind, he reached into his core and called on the Mist within. "Give it your all, Sawada Tsunayoshi." Mukuro said as the Sky and Mist Flames cleared to reveal their battlefield—one that would not remain as the plateau it currently was.

The number six in his eye flashed and became the number one. The earth in front of him split, spewing a geyser of molten lava on the area between them. If they were going to duke it out in this place, he was going to have to turn up the heat.

"Don't think that this will be enough to slow me down."

"Please," Mukuro scoffed, the grin on his face betraying his delight. "If this was enough, I would be wasting my time and I loathe making pointless moves."

"Then you will not take defeat well."

And that was all of the warning he got before Tsunayoshi was on the offensive and he was left trying desperately to keep from stepping in his own trap because illusions were not just that in this place. Here, everything became _real_.

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><p>Shamal jerked when Sawada's heart monitor began making all sorts of noise and cussed aloud when the boy began jerking. He was thankful that they had moved Hibari and Tsunayoshi to the hospital but he had not anticipated for the Mist user to still be <em>inside<em> of the other teen.

For fuck's sake, couldn't the boy catch a break?

Shamal injected the adrenalin, to stop the boy's seizure, and began wracking his brain for the best thing to do.

His body was not ready for this kind of thing. He had sensed the seal that the Ninth put on the boy and had considered removing it when he gave the boy the cure for the Skull Disease but didn't because Reborn had told him not to.

He was cursing the hitman's choice now. The Rokudo boy beat him to it and now, they were having an all out war. It grated against Shamal's nerves in a way nothing else could that he was _powerless_ because all he could do was stand by and _watch_ the war that was going on inside of the boy's head.

His defenses prevented outside interference and honestly, even if he was strong enough to breach the natural defense that all those of Vongola blood had, with as much power that was being released, he wasn't sure he _wanted_ to.

'_I have no doubt in my mind that the kid can make it through this—the question is, is he willing to do what he has to do to get out alive?_'

"The Vongola Intuition will force him to if the seal truly has been broken." Reborn said from behind him as he watched Shamal pump enough medication into Tsuna's system to put him into a coma. It wouldn't do much. His Flames were active so it would burn out faster than it would do any good. Sky Flames were a bitch like that and Shamal didn't have enough medication on hand to keep him under for most of it and Reborn knew that. "I have a case of medication strong enough to put him out for two hours at a time but it's in a warehouse on the other side of the city." Shamal would run out of medication before he got back.

"Then hurry." Shamal said, turning away from him and preparing to administer another dose. This would not end well for the boy.

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><p>Tsuna screamed when the tip of the center spike tore through the flesh of his shoulder, biting down deep enough to draw an excessive amount of blood that stained his shirt. He felt the searing pain blur his vision and knew that this would be one wound he had in real life. He hoped Shamal could keep up.<p>

'_**End this quickly.**_' Against his will, he found his body obeying. He attacked Mukuro again, launching a flurry of punches and kicks that left a trail of Sky Flames as he moved. Mukuro dodged but the Flames still grazed him and they still burned.

'_I don't want to kill him._' Tsuna thought, no longer a projection. This was him fighting now, utilizing the Vongola Intuition as an extension of himself. When used in Hyper Dying Will mode, it became a form of Hyper Intuition that allowed him to spot weakness and calculate trajectories on a dime without having to process it.

'_**Then don't.**_'

Mukuro's memory-viewing was not one-sided. While Mukuro watched Tsuna's past unravel, Tsuna had watched Mukuro's pass right before his eyes. He knew why the boy's thoughts were consumed by war and hate—he was in pain. He wanted the world to hurt as much as he did and Tsuna knew the cause of that pain.

His eye. Whenever the number flashed, Tsuna felt a chill run down his spine.

"Is that all you have to offer, Mist?" Tsuna taunted, his amber eyes flickering over their battlefield. What once had been a plateau was now just a pile of rubbish. "Because that is not enough to beat me."

"Kufufu, do not think so lightly of me." Mukuro said, panting. He had hoped to avoid using _that_ path but now he could see that he had no choice. He brought up his hand and curved his fingers over his eye. He could feel his body rejecting the skill, could feel how repulsed Tsunayoshi was by the black aura that covered him (he'd never admit that it _bothered_ him that he was disgusted by it) when the Path of Humans activated.

But Tsuna wasn't disgusted by it. It _hurt_ to see that someone like Mukuro took safety in something so foul and dangerous. The darkness did not give freedom to those that it enveloped—it trapped them, chained them down like a wild beast and tortured them until their minds broke.

'_**No such life for a Mist.**_' His Intuition agreed. '_**But he will not take so kindly to being marked so soon.**_'

That was okay. Tsuna didn't need to mark him. All he had to do was purify that aura.

But he had lost too much blood. The world around them was getting hazy and hard to keep a hold of. He had to do what he was going to do quickly. "I hate to be the type to retreat when things to badly but I rather like living now that I have something to life for."

Mukuro startled. "Oh? And what makes you think I will let you retreat so easily?"

"Because, unlike you, the only thing keeping me down right now is my injuries. You, however, are uninjured but exhausted. What do you say we find out if fantasy meets reality's expectations and finish this when the two of us are recovered?" Tsuna pressed a hand to his shoulder and seared the wound. He'd get shit from Shamal and Reborn about that later, he just knew it, and when his Intuition confirmed it, he wanted to scream.

He'd deal with them later.

"Kufufufu..." Mukuro snickered softly before his snickers dissolved into maniacal laughter. "You've got yourself a deal, Sawada Tsunayoshi—just make sure not to forget. I find myself curious which of us will be the victor in this battle."

"Very well..." Tsuna's lips lifted into a small smile and before be knew it, Tsunayoshi was flying across the space between him, grabbing his face with a Sky Flame-infused hand and throwing him back into his own body.

When Mukuro woke up in the physical world, he still felt the burn of Sky Flames and he was horrified to see that he was surrounded by them—but in the blink of an eye, the burn and the Flames were gone.

**_Tsuzukeru._**

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><p><strong><em>Thanks for reading~!<em>**


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